


Almost microscopic (Just five centimenters tall)

by TFALokiwriter



Category: Land of the Giants (TV), Lost in Space: The Classic Series
Genre: Emotional, Feels, Gen, Heartbreaking, Hurt, I BET YOU, Jupiter 2, Pain, Presumed Dead, Short Story, Spindrift, Unsure, assumptions are sometimes wrong folks, late Season 1
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-10
Updated: 2018-05-19
Packaged: 2019-05-04 14:51:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14595390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TFALokiwriter/pseuds/TFALokiwriter
Summary: A quick adventure that varies in height. And rather little.





	1. Chapter 1

Three years being stranded in the world of the giants, code named Gigantus by Barry, had left its mark on the once survival-less based small people. The vines that had once grown over the Spindrift were torn off piece by piece by each member of the party. Chipper did his best to help, and the others laughed at the sight. Once it was done and over with, the small Spindrift looked good as new. Steve had smile on his face seeing his mid-orbital ship ready to fly.  Flight 612 was ready to go home. The bunks had been dissembled to become seats again. Their supplies were set up should the trip back end up yet another giant occupied planet instead of their little planet.

"Got you in the feels?" Dan asked.

Steve wiped a tear off.

"It's just that. . ." Steve was unable to finish at first. "After all this time, I thought we were going to spend the rest of our natural lives here."

"So did I," Dan said, patting on Steve's back. "I used to believe that I would be buried in this uniform."

Steve looked over, bemused, toward the dark man.

"You?" Steve asked. "Never," he shook his head. "We would have never allowed that."

"Going home," Dan turned his head toward the Spindrift. "I still can't believe we got it."

"It's a miracle," Betty said. "A true miracle that the Giants didn't interfere this time."

Chipper barked while running into the Spindrift.

"I know who's ancy to be big again!" Barry said.

"We all are, boy," Fitzhugh said, then sadly smiled watching the teenager go in.

"What's with the sad look, Fitz?" Mark asked.

"I'm a con man, Mark," Fitzhugh said. "I blackmailed a man into giving me a million dollars in bills. They probably know by now," he waved toward Valerie beckoning her on. He looked toward the graying man beside him. "But I'll be happy to be giant again."

"Giant," Mark said.  "Giants and everyone is splitting up. Never going to have reunions. . ."

"Don't make me cry, Mark," Fitzhugh said.

"Thanks," Mark said.

"For what?" Fitzhugh asked. "Whatever for?"

"For the laughs," Mark said, then walked after Betty and her one month old child.

Fitzhugh turned away from the Spindrift then observed the greenery for one last time. Admiring what was once his purgatory. His hellish prison. His brown two piece outfit had endured three years of giants. The ads hadn't lied about durability in the new clothing line. He found himself silently crying, wiping off tears, and shoulders trembling.

"Fitzhugh!" Valerie called. "We're getting  ready to go!"

"One moment," Fitzhugh replied, then she went in.

Barry came back out coming over to Fitzhugh's side.

"Are you okay, Commander?" Barry asked, as Chipper barked from the Spindrift.

"You don't have to call me that, Barry," Fitzhugh said, looking over toward Barry tearfully.

"You are one to me," Barry said. "Always have been."

Fitzhugh grabbed Barry into a hug.

"I am so happy I got to be your friend," Fitzhugh said.

"Me too, me too," Barry said, then stepped out of the warm and comforting hug with a smile.

Barry walked into the Spindrift. Fitzhugh gave one last glance to the greenery then walked toward the vessel. The door slid open before him and he came toward his seat that had the familiar long coat with the Commander insignia's on the shoulders that felt heavy on him rather than light as a feather. He buttoned the jacket up then sat down into the chair.  Betty was set in the front seat ahead of Mark holding onto Gina Erikson.  The scene panned back to show members of the passengers wore smiles, they were radiant, and optimistic. The camera panned back  to reveal that they didn't lift off. They had vanished among the foliage. Moments later, a long continuous agonizing girly scream came from where the Spindrift had been attracting giants. 


	2. Chapter 2

"Penny! Peeennny!"

The sounds of the Robinsons searching for Penny was heard in the night.

"Pennny!"

Maureen held on to John's hand.

"Pennny!"

Judy aimed the flashlight ahead.

"Penny?"

Smith wandered off from the Robinsons going into the fog tapping his fingers together while in his yellow and orange complimenting outfit. He looked both ways to make sure he wasn't being followed then looked over his shoulder waiting a few seconds for the expected duo, the Robot and  Will, to follow after him. He waited a full two minutes hearing their call for Penny. He turned away then walked further and further into the fog being uncharacteristically brave. There were light lamps beginning to appear from left to right shining a path ahead. He kept following the path for several minutes going on a hunch. The sounds of the Robinsons call became distant as he went forward until they couldn't be heard. He came to the mouth of a cave then shifted away from the cave, warily, to make sure once again that he wasn't being followed. Smith turned away then walked into the cave that had a series of lights attached to the wall alongside him.

The scene grew brighter and brighter to his eyes as he went further until he came to the lab. Penny was laid conscious bound and gagged against the wall. Smith glared in the direction of the man roughly his height. He was young and energetic. Penny was on a raised elevated platform that had a series of small stairs from around it. From beside her, there was a raised up counter that had a simmering blue energy field. A figure was taking form as the lights were going on and off in the cave. Smith had a murderous glare as he stepped forward  cracking his knuckles. The loud pop went unnoticed as he came closer and closer to Daniels.

"Hello there," Smith said.

Daniels jumped then turned in the direction of Smith.

"Doctor Smith," Daniels said, placing a hand on his chest.  "You gave me quite the scare."

"Oh, did I?" Smith asked. "I am sorry, dear sir. . but I must know what you are intending to do with Penny."

"She is going to be fine," Daniels said. 

"Define how fine," Smith said, darkly.

"Fine enough to live after today," Daniels said. "You are going home. To Earth. Just what you have been raving about since I got here."

"Ah, Earth," Smith said, happily at the thought. "Green and predictable. Not everything out to kill me."

A puff of smoke appeared on the counter across from Penny where a glowing blue toy spaceship was floating in place. Smith  looked toward the man then back toward Penny. He approached the young woman first then checked her vitals. She stirred, shifting, alive and breathing. Smith's mind went to ease.  He walked his way toward the miniature spaceship.

"All after I do is get rid of the crew and program this spaceship for a one way trip to Earth," Daniels added.

Smith picked up the glowing object that was screaming.

He saw two terrified men in the cockpit. One of them was pressing buttons to escape but nothing was happening. Smith turned the object around to look through the windows. There was screaming coming from the inside and what sounded to be the wails of a baby. The sounds of a dog's bark was distinctive. The red head was clutching on to the bundle looking on with horror. His eye looked forward to see a teenager, a blonde woman, and a muscular man in comfortable aesthetic chairs. His eyes returned to the baby in the woman's hands. She was in a purple and yellow uniform that had a red emblem. They all looked like passengers on a plane. A stewardess holding what was undoubtedly her baby. The screaming was giving him a headache as he lowered it down onto the table. He slowly turned in the direction of Daniels.    

"Appealing, isn't it?" Daniels asked.

"It is," Smith said. "Are you sure that you got everything for this endeavor?"  Daniels started to speak when a circuit erupted.

"Damn!" Daniels said. "I'll get the replacement."

"Expected for someone who uses cheap wires," Smith said.

"Wait here," Daniels said, then went down the passageway across from the cave.

Smith walked over in the direction of Penny then took out a handle from his pocket then slid out a blade. He cut away the rope, quickly, then yanked the tape off her mouth earning a gasp. Her hazel eyes stared back at Smith. Smith placed a finger on her lips then looked over in the direction that Daniels had gone then  turned his head back in her direction and cut off the rope binding her ankles together.

"I will be right behind you, Penelope," Smith whispered, helping the young woman to her feet. "The exit is this way."

"Thank you," Penny said, then bolted up from the platform and ran off leaving him to his fate.

Smith looked off toward the young woman's figure then back in the direction that  Daniels had gone slowly standing up to his feet and folded the dagger back into the handle. He slid the red handle into his pocket then slowly approached the console and waited for Daniels to return. He waited that way until Daniels came back into the room, now leaning against the console.  Daniels made his way over toward the console then began to set in a sequence.

"This space craft is still in the space that it was in originally," Daniels said. "If I can put them into our space bubble and transfer the child in to fill that bubble then I can get what you want."

Smith loudly cleared his throat.

"The question is, what do you want?" Smith asked. "To murder people? Children? Animals? Babies?" Daniels looked over toward Smith. "My line is drawn when it comes to killing the vulnerable and the innocent. Stop this, right now!"

"Not everyone is innocent, Doctor Smith," Daniels said, then looked up toward the platform and looked toward Smith with eyes searing rage. "Look what you did!"

"You're a serial killer in the making, Daniels," Smith said. "you are a very sick man."

"You bastard!" Daniels called.

Daniels lunged forward with a closed fist and Smith ducked out of shot. He delivered a punch to the purple man sending him back to the floor. Smith picked up a wrench from the counter alongside him. As a psychologist, not often did he have the chance to stop a tragedy not that he was the one who often caused it around the Robinsons and had the tendency to allow those around him to die in exchange that he lived, this was a man who wanted to kill people and he had to violate his oath. He smacked Daniels at the side of the head knocking him down to the ground. Daniels knocked Smith against the side of the console with a hold on to his shoulders then reached out and grabbed the wrench. The wrench was tossed aside. Smith closed his restrained hand into a fist then sent it flying at Daniel's face sending him knocking against a array of buttons. Sparks flew from behind Daniels. 

Smith staggered up to his feet, readying himself for the Costonian and both of his hands were set for punches. Daniels charged toward Smith delivering a punch to the face.  Smith was knocked back against the console with a hard smack. Smith's back was burned by the electrified console, the lights around the room grew frantic and alarming while the man screamed. _Don't you fall on them_ , Smith chastised himself finding himself sliding down the panel. The doctor found the energy to get back up to his feet.  Smith smacked Daniels against another console sending sparks flying from behind him with his arms wrapped around the man's torso and he felt the electricity sizzling through him. Daniels howled in pain.

Smith stumbled back from the mad man then his hands found the wrench. Daniels fell down to the floor as the panels were erupting into several sparks that were aligned from behind him. The cave trembled making Smith freeze, uneasy, but he found the strength to step forward toward Daniels. He tossed the wrench aside then took out his laser pistol from behind him. Daniel's eyes bolted open and he lunged forward, grabbing a hold onto Smith's wrists. Panicked, Smith kicked at the Costonian's crotch only to see that he wasn't bothered by it.

"My balls are on my back, Doctor Smith," Daniels said, as they struggled to get a hold on the laser pistol.

"How unfortunate," Smith said.

Smith pressed the trigger several times aimed at different parts of the lab cutting of pieces of long cables connecting to stations and smoke drifted around the ground floor. Sparks flew around the long cables. Daniels was forcing Smith forward as the ground trembled around them and Smith looked over realizing that he was going to be cornered. Smith had a short scream turning his head in the direction of Daniels. Smith kicked at the man's legs in a attempt to stop him in his tracks and  tried the gun at the man. Daniels let go of Smith's left hand then reached his hand back and delivered a punch into his torso making Smith go limb. Daniels yanked the laser pistol out of Smith's hand then let go of Smith's hand allowing him to fall on the padd landing on his side. Parts of the cieling panels were falling off from the cave with a loud, deafening rumble. Smith was slowly regaining consciousness clenching on to his chest. Daniels went over to the console then fired at it repeatedly. The trembling grew louder as the power source went into overload focusing on the machine. Daniels dropped the laser pistol then ran on foot.

Smith raised himself up, partially.

"Please, don't leave me here!" Smith plead, as a blue glow began to  outline him.  "I don't want to die!"

Smith looked up hearing a loud crashing from above.

"Oh dear," Smith said.

Smith screamed, watching pieces fall from the cieling and lowered down to the floor shielding his head. The  Spindrift soared past Smith losing what was keeping it in place on the counter making its way in the direction that Daniels had gone slowly becoming bigger and bigger. A flash of blue light illuminated from the cave as the rumbling grew louder and terrifying. Smoke drifted out of the lab as machinery fell over crashing to the floor.  Daniels fled into the series of dead trees looking around. The ground was steady and still but to him, it was still uneasy and it could be worse than what anyone might expect. The Spindrift flew over him heading toward the sky that was dark. Daniels resumed running for his life.


	3. Chapter 3

"Can't fly out of his hands, this time!"  Dan said.

"Whatever the Piper is doing, it's nothing good," Steve said.

The giant Piper turned the object around, curiously looking in, as the passengers were screaming. Who they thought to be the Piper slowly lowered the object down to the counter with a light thud. The Spindrift spun up back into place making the passengers be sent falling to the floor from the turbulence. Dan noticed the Piper wasn't in the garment that he was in originally. A colorful mix of green and orange, lacking the Robin Hood like hat, and he looked rather. . . _young_. Steve saw the look on the giant's face. It was a subtle change on the giant's face. This was the face of someone who had made their decision. Someone ready to face what was going to happen next.  It was the look in his eyes that sold him.

"That's not the Piper," Dan said

" **Appealing, isn't it?"** came another voice.

 **"It is,"** Not-Piper said, turning around from the craft then walked toward the figure using a tone of voice that was kind on the little people's ears. **"Are you sure that you got everything for this endeavor?"**

The man started to speak when a circuit erupted. It was loud and booming for the little people.

"If we can't get the ship out then we have to try getting ourselves out," Steve said.

"Good idea," Dan said, with a nod.

The two men got out of their chairs then made their way over toward the hatch. It was Dan who pressed the button making the door open before their eyes.  Steve held his had out then waved it up and down in the energy field. His hand felt like jelly  being waved in different directions. He yanked back the hand from the energy field turning his head  in the direction of Dan and shook his head. Chipper flew on out into the energy field swimming his way down toward the floor. They watched the determined, little dog land on the gray floor then bark at them. The giant not-piper had cut free the giant with dark hair then sent her off. Barry came running toward the door coming to a stop by Steve's hand.  Fitzhugh joined the small, huddled group at the doors and then Mark came in with his rope.

"Who's going to get out of here first?" Steve asked.

"Fitz," Dan said "I rather not be the first one," Fitzhugh said.

"How about you go?"  Fitzhugh asked.

"Co-Pilot," Dan said, shaking his finger.

"I would go," Valerie said.

"No," Fitzhugh said, "I got to go first and get the stupid dog."

"There you go," Dan said.

Fitzhugh climbed down the rope heading toward the surface. One of the giants cleared their throats as Fitzhugh chased after the little dog.

"Chipper!" Fitzhugh shouted. "Come here!"

The older giant shifted to their side away from the console alongside the younger giant facing the young man's back.

"Chipper!" Fitzhugh shouted.

Fitzhugh came to Chipper's side then picked him up.

"Don't scare the boy like that," Fitzhugh said. "Giants could step on you and squish you!"

Chipper licked Fitzhugh face.

"I can't stay mad at you for long," Fitzhugh said. "Can I?"

Fitzhugh smiled, stroking underneath Chippers chin.

**"You bastard!"**

Fitzhugh slowly made his way back in the direction of the Spindrift. He heard a girly scream from behind, then turned to see the young giant staring down the older giant watching him fall out of sight. Fitzhugh speeded toward the rope as Chipper wagged his tail with his tongue dangling out the corner of his mouth, happily. There was a wolf like howl that echoed through the lab. Fitzhugh wrapped the rope around his waist including the dogs. Valerie got off the rope then back into the Spindrift. The group tugged the rope up as laser fire was being sent around the room. One of the bolts struck the rope separating Fitzhugh from the dog and he landed to the floor on his side.

"Fitzhugh!" Steve called.

"Oww," Fitzhugh shifted onto his side. "My sides. My poor sides."

"Are you alright, Mr Fitzhugh?" Barry asked.

"Owww," Fitzhugh whined, propping himself up. "Looks like you need a longer rope!"

"That was the longest we had!" Dan shouted.

The ground trembled beneath  Fitzhugh's feet then he turned seeing the older giant falling to the ground as  Chipper was helped into the vessel. Parts of the cieling began to fall around him.

"Go!" Fitzhugh said. "I will catch up with you outside!" as the smoke was headed his way.

"We're not leaving without you!" Steve replied.

"Fitz!" Mark called, as the smoke masked the lower half of the scene. 

"Go!" Fitzhugh's voice was distant.

"Mr Fitzhugh!" Barry shouted. "Where are you?"

"Running!" Fitzhugh replied.

Steve looked on to see a blue light illuminating above the doctor. Something was going to be happening. It was coming from a sharp, long pole set above the padd. Steve stood up then closed the door and faced his co-pilot. Dan nodded, as though he knew what the captain was thinking. Dan motioned them to the cabins as Steve made his way to the cockpit. Dan joined him seconds later coming to his side. Whatever was keeping them in place let go sending the ship floating down from side to side. The blue light was thin as a thread beaming down toward the older giant.

" **Please, don't leave me here!"** Cried the older giant.  **"I don't want to die!"**

"Power generators are ready for flight," Dan said.

"Let's go," Steve said.

A girly, terrified scream echoed through the lab as the Spindrift flew out of what was keeping them in place.

The Spindrift flew over the head of the young giant growing big and bigger illuminated by the light flickering off the fixtures dotting the wall. The spaceship was getting wider and wider as the seconds were ticking by. From behind the space craft, there was a blue burst of light chasing after them with smoke in front of it. Barry was holding onto Chipper as the spacecraft was going side ways in a desperate attempt to outrun the blast effects. Barry looked over toward the windows seeing a fleeing small figure making way to a small rat hole. The Spindrift soared into the sky over the head of the young giant into the dark sky that was cackling. The spaceship was now the normal size it had been before the fateful flight to London. 

It was a rerun of what had happened three years ago. The Spindrift trembled from side to side as the power briefly went out in the craft then returned a second afterwards. The Spindrift tilted down toward the ground spinning out of control sending some of the passengers flying except for Betty who was buckled into her seat. The little wailed as the Spindrift was headed back in the direction of the barren trees. Dan  flew the Spindrift through the trees crashing them one by one. The Spindrift came to a screeching halt near a large rock. The remaining passengers got up to their feet then looked out the windows to see where they were as the screen panned back to display that they had made a wide clearing up toward the vessel. 


	4. Chapter 4

Daniels hadn't seen it coming when he saw the Robinsons. Don smacked the Costonian against the tree trunk with his hands digging through the fine, thin almost filmsy uniform made of space silk. The side of his waist sash was torn by what remained of a tree branch. Penny was in her mother's arm while the woman held a laser pistol aimed at the man with angry, furious eyes that matched the same one on John's face.

"Why?" Don asked. "Why did you take Penny?"

"Because she is young enough to survive," Daniels said.

"I don't like what you are implying," John said, as Don's fingers dug deeper into Daniel's skin.

"It was a nice trade," Daniels said. "A child for a working ship."

"Smith, is that true?" Don looked over to see the absence of a girly screaming man headed their way then turned toward Daniels. "Where is Smith."

"I don't know," Daniels was lifted up against the trunk. "I left him in my lab! He should be right behind me!"

"Take us there," Don said. "Like to see your lab for myself."

"It's. . . It's . . . it's destroyed," Daniels said, as horror spread on the Robinsons's faces.

"Then you better hope that Smith is just trapped in there and not dead," Don said. "Take us there."

"Fine, fine, fine!" Daniels said. "I'll take you there!"

Don let go of him taking a step back as the camera moved to a dark part of a tree.,

* * *

"Fitzhugh!" Dan called into a dark crevice. "Fitzhugh!"

The crew of the Spindrift were by the sealed tunnel calling for their friend one at a time waiting for any kind of sign that he was alive. A small pebble wiggled out of the tunnel and fell down to the ground. Fitzhugh was covered in dirt as he came out of the almost sealed cave then dusted off his hands rather unhappily. Smiles grew on the passengers face to see the man quite alive and well.

"Mr Fitzhugh!" Barry said. "Are you alright?"

"Just some cuts on my finger," Fitzhugh said. "Nothing that I can handle."

"For a moment there I thought you were crushed by it," Mark said.

"As if I can be crushed," Fitzhugh said. "I got the Spindrift luck on me."

"And that's where your luck ends for now, Fitzhugh," Valerie said. "I wonder how the police will handle incarcerating you."

"You don't have to wonder," Dan said. "I am sure they can figure that part out."

"Or we can just say that our big friend died on the way here," Steve said. "Say aye if you agree, nay if you disagree on a count of three."

"One, two, three," Mark counted.

"Aye," came the  passengers

"Then it's settled," Steve said, looking toward the German. "You will turn your life around after we get back."

"And do what?" Fitzhugh asked. "Be used? No. I want to be giant again!"

"We'll get to that, we'll get to that," Steve said. "Right when we find the right person."

"Ah shucks," Fitzhugh said.

Chipper barked at the approaching family. The group turned away from the tunnel to face the Robinsons. Chipper ran over to the Robot then barked at him. The Robot bent himself downwards then stroked the dog gently with a red claw.  Chipper tipped over exposing his belly to the Robot. The Robot carefully rubbed Chipper's stomach. The Spindrift crew looked at the rather unusual sight then turned their eyes on to the Robinsons. They were more colorfully dressed and fit for being on a desert compared to the every day going work clothes of the crew. Steve recognized the giant.

"I know you from somewhere," Steve said, approaching the group while shaking his index finger at Daniels. "Right. . ." He placed his hands on his hips remaining calm and composed. His eyes were searing with anger at the Costonian.. "In your lab. _After_ you had abducted us from taking off."

"No, no, no, no," Daniels said. "I--I---I----I---"

"Captain Steve Burton," Steve said, turning his attention onto John while Daniels struggled to speak coherently. "Captain of the Spindrift."

"Dan Eriskon," Dan said, coming to Dan's side. "Co-Pilot."

"Professor John Robinson," John said.

"Major West," Don said. "Pilot of the Jupiter 2."

"And who is he?" Dan asked, gesturing toward Daniels as Steve had his eyes trained on the man.

"Constello Daniels," John said. "A mad scientist." He turned his attention on to the Robot. "Robot, is there any lifeforms in the cave?"

"Negative," The Robot said, his head bobbing up. "Doctor Smith is dead."

Will was visibly crushed by the announcement as he slowly shook his head with silent 'no's.

"May we help cleaning the cave out?" Steve asked. "We have to make our friend giant again."

John raised a eyebrow.

"Giant again?" John asked. 

Barry came over with Fitzhugh in his hand.

"Hello there!" Fitzhugh said, with a small wave.

"We crash landed on Gigantus," Barry said. "Where we're small compared to the giant humans."

"Castaways," Don said. "Just like we are."

"We were drawn into the great barrier," Steve said.

"We had to use the hyper drive to stop the ship from crashing into the sun," John said.

"Hyper-Drive?" Mark said. "But that was discarded in the 1970's in favor of a more reliable and dependable warp drive." 

"1970's?" John said. "We are in 1998." 

"When we left Earth, it was 1987," Steve said, then turned his attention onto Daniels.   


"Another super genius," Fitzhugh said, shaking his head in disappointment with a 'tsk'.  


"Oh my  stars,"  Daniels said, falling to the ground looking at them in horror. "That's impossible! I--I--I---"  


Steve turned his eyes on to the man.

"Whatever you want to do with him, you best hold it off for now," Steve said. "His expertise on using the consoles would be the best use."

John eyed warily at the man on the ground then back toward Steve.

"The Robot and  Don will make sure he won't try to make a run for it," John said.

"If he does," Don said. "He will wish that he never did," Don aimed the laser pistol at the man then flipped it back into the laser pistol holder and the Robot wheeled behind the man. "Lucky right now that he isn't going to be appropriately punished." Don held his hand out  and the Robot materialized a set of cuffs  between his red claws then placed them into the man's hand. Don ducked out off screen down toward Daniels.


	5. Chapter 5

The final rock blocking the way into the lab was set aside. There was the stench of death lingering out of it so John ran out of the scene leaving Don and the rest of the Spindrift passengers. Don walked away covering his nose following after the man. Fitzhugh and Daniels watched the small  group regain their bearings. Mark came back out of the cave with a shovel then handed one to Don who regained his bearing. Mark gave a apologetic look toward the man. He took out makeshift nose protectors then handed them to each member of the party. The hard, gray string wrapped the cardboard object around their nose and mouth. The group returned back into the cave.

They removed the long  counter and placed it against the wall. There was a small mound of rocks collected where Smith had once been among pieces of machinery and long. Dan and Mark lifted up a wall panel from against the main console sending it to the side into a neatly made pile. John returned with a look that easily said he was relieved it wasn't Penny. It wasn't Penny. It could have been Penny under that rubble. Valerie and Barry moved the rubble that acted as a final tomb to the doctor toward the corner. Barry recognized a pool of blood spilling from underneath the mound and what seemed to be rather intact shoes. Fitzhugh sat on the edge of the curved console wearing his minimask. Don joined John coming to his side covered in head to toe in dirt placing a hand on John's shoulder and the professor looked over toward the pilot giving him a nod. Steve handed the two men the masks and joined uncovering the mound. The pieces were set aside until the remains of Smith were revealed.

Don's shovel stabbed into the ground.

"Looks like he was transported in the middle of being crushed," Mark said.

"His legs," Don said. "Below the knees."

"He has to be dead by now," John said, as the Robot wheeled in behind them.

"The human body isn't made to survive extreme pain like that or survive massive blood loss," The Robot chimed in

"Oh, the pain. . the pain," Don repeated. "Hard to believe he died because of it."

"He had it coming," John said.

"All the pain that he put everyone in from time to time," The Robot said.  "You deserved it, Doctor Smith!"

Don and John had a laugh at the Robot's comment.

The laughter eased the mood in the room as the Robot's head whirred and turned himself toward the two men raising  his bobbed head up to convey surprise. Don slid the flattened the remains of Smith's legs up with help from John. They held the the flattened legs up supporting it by their shovels walking out of the scene. Fitzhugh shared a sympathetic look at the two men who were masking their pain with laughter. Daniels was held in a makeshift cell alongside the Spindrift. Their laughter was contagious spreading through the Spindrift group and finishing it off. Smith's flattened legs were dumped into a grave. The two men took turns dumping the sand over the grave until it was covered and it was marked with a single cross engraved with Smith's name. 


	6. Chapter 6

"You need a living being on the console to make him big again," Daniels finished.

"There has to be another way," Steve said.

"Sending him back where he came and then transporting him in with a large rock in his place," Daniels said. "Theoretical."

"Large rock to us, small pebble to the giants," Mark said. "if  I can make the system accept non-living objects then we can do it."

"His technology is advanced compared to us, Mark," Steve said. "How sure are you that you can make it accept a rock?"

"Not just a ordinary rock," Mark said. "A really mossy rock."

"There's no rocks on this goddamn planet!" Daniels said.

"There is a sea," John said, earning their attention. "Ponds, lakes, and swamps on this planet."

"Where there is ponds, there is green," Steve said. "Care to tell us where we can find that place?"

"Just over the sea," John said. "It's not going to be a fun ride."

"But worth it!" Fitzhugh said.

"Fitzhugh, you're staying," Steve said.

"Captain, I like to help with this search," Fitzhugh said.

"You can help with the boat making if you like," Mark said.

"If we were small then we would have made one easily by a thick stick," Steve said. "Instead, we're going to use a series of fallen trees we left behind in our crash landing."

"And this time it's going to be for a better situation," Mark said.

"What kind of situation called for canoeing?" John asked.

"Fitzhugh and Dan," Valerie said. "That kind of situation."

"Can we not revisit that?" Dan asked. "It's embarrassing."

"We were fishing for minnows for dinner,"  Fizhugh said. "Our thread was too thin. We got caught by giants and went to their version of London! London! We went to the wrong London!" He waved his arms in the air. "Then SID agents were sent after us and our giant friends. Thankfully, the others got there in time and found a solution to that problem."

Fitzhugh shuddered at the memory.


	7. Chapter 7

"Sorry, no," Steve said, shaking his hand. "We are going to get those mossy stones our own way."

"The Chariot isn't made to sink," John said. "That boat has a good chance of capsizing on you."

"Leave that concern to us," Steve said, then looked over toward the passengers assembling the boat using long sliced pieces of the trees. He turned his attention back on to the man. "Rocks don't always obey the law of logic on alien planets."

"Have you been on an other alien planet?"

"Well. . ." Steve said. "Experiment gone wrong bringing us home."

"You hardly talk about the land of the giants," John said. "I take it is dangerous."

"To giants, it is no big deal," Steve said. "To us, it was. You're lucky that your family is on a planet that doesn't have giants."

"Actually," John said. "We do."

Steve grew alarmed.

"What kind of giants?" Steve asked.

"Furry giants with one eye," John said, the looked off toward the distance.

"Cyclops," Steve said.

"Cyclops," John repeated, with a nod.

"I thought we had it hard," Steve said. "We had it easy. You have it hard."

"They don't come near us since we killed one of their own a few months back," John said. 

"Just how did you do that?" Steve asked.

"With luck," John replied.

"Keep that luck up," Steve said. "Hopefully you won't be faced with problems that we had."

"What kind of problems?" John asked, concerned.

"Giants trying to get to Earth. We had to destroy the equipment that we found to make sure it didn't happen and now.  . . I don't have to order that," Steve said. "It's strange. Wishing that I and my passengers make it back on Earth for three years. . ." he seemed to be in disbelief, shaking his head, still processing the opportunity. "Now, that wish is reality. I still get the feeling that we have to destroy it before a giant crosses our equipment."

"Except you don't need to," John said.

"Yes," Steve said. "It is reflex by now."

"It's not going to be much different for us on Alpha Centauri when we get there," John said. "Earth will be very different for you." 

"We can adapt to that," Steve said. "We've already considered that we may have counterparts on Earth and decided to go on different career paths. We will make it our home like the Spindrift became ours. I get the feeling the Jupiter has already become that to you."

"It has," John said. "It has."


End file.
